El Jardin Vegetariana

Large cafeteria style seating. Features a wide variety in Asian and Panamanian vegan food. Includes soy meats, plantains, potatoes, rice, mixed veggies, soups and salads. Fresh squeezed orange juice and carrot juice as well. Food is usually made at 7am and available until closing. Lunch time has the best selection as there are fewer items left later on. Cafeteria pricing, around 70+ cents one scoop, and juices are 70+ cents (prices at Feb 2017). Owned and operated by a Taiwanese family. Open Mon-Sat 10:00am-7:30pm.

27 Reviews

I've been eating in this place for years. It's very convenient if you're on the go as the food is served quickly (it's a veg taiwanese buffet style restaurant) and at a very convenient price. I believe each portion is $0.75 cents and their food is pretty good. It's better if you go by noon as they run out of most dishes after lunch time.

Its vegeterian asian buffet style, varied menu and good
Service. They only accept cash, food sometimes tastes great and other times not so good, its best to go early lunch hour to find more food before it runs out.

There's a lot of options in this cafeteria style restaurant. Combined with the fact that it is very inexpensive you feel like a kid in a candy store! Most of the things we tried were delicious, and we even ended up buying some more food as take out to be enjoyed later on in our hostel. The staff was very nice, friendly and helpful. Definately worth the visit!

It's a buffet-type restaurant, they change it every day. Went there twice, perfect, had a full plate (pizza slice, veggies like broccoli, potato salad, tofu burger thing, noodles/pasta, glass of juice) and paid $4.20 !!! I don't know why other people rate this place just 3 stars, I'd give it 100 stars if I could. The owners are Chinese and really nice people.

This is a buffet of a great variety of food specially panamanian and asian. Here you can get also pizza(but sadly, its vegetarian), sushi and soups. It is very very cheap and tasty. You could eat here everyday.

The staff were helpful and kind. The food was so good I went back after my meal to get take out. Portions were very generous. Totally recommend for anyone who is vegan and on a budget. Don't expect decor etc.

I loved this place in Panama City! When I went around lunchtime, there was a selection of like 30 meals, 0.70 USD per scoop. A usual lunch would be 5 different scoops. I had 12 and would continue, but my body didn't let me. :-) There were vegan "meats", noodles, two types of sushi, rolls... part of it was taiwanese food, but some of the things were not (e.g. potatoe salad). Free water and herbal tea.

Food is good and very cheap. Every scoop is 70 cent and they are generous with servings. Location is very good as well. The place is not very nice (it is not the kind of place I would go to celebrate something). Staff very kind. Water for free. I think it's the perfect place if you want to fill your stomach saving money. I will probably come back at least one more time to try new things. Panama has a few vegetarian restaurants and any cruelty free place is appreciated

Any of the reviews below five stars do not accurately represent this restaurant. Huge variety of Chinese and Panamanian choices at lunch. Lots of vegetables, tofu, gluten dishes. Pay per portion. Great quality. I will return many times.

You pay 70 cents per portion and you tell the employee which foods you want on your plate. So I got four portions which came to $2.80. Pay at the cash register and just beyond that area there is a large container of tea and another one with cold water for free or you can pay for soy milk or juices. They had a good selection to choose from including green vegetables. The food is just basic, nothing special but the location is good.

I am going through Panama City a lot and El Jardin Vegetariano is always a must. The restaurant is located centrally in the district of El Cangrejo where many hotels and shops are. It has an ample selection of vegetarian dishes, I actually think all or at least most of it is vegan, but would recommend you to confirm if you are strict. You choose from a buffet, each portion is 70 cent and if you fill up your plate you might select about 4 or 5 different dishes, for drinks they offer different juices for a similar price. Investing 3-4 dollars will provide you with a great lunch option.
Cuisine is certainly asian for one part with Tofu and different types of soy and gluten meat, but among this they offer local food such as different veggies, rice and plantains and occasionally pizza or lasagne. They change their dishes slightly every day and with the big selection they have you will not get bored going there several times, if you enjoy their food.
Around lunchtime the place can get full and later in the afternoon they start running out of food, do not count on it for dinner as they might close early or just have few options left. It seems to be very popular with locals and all sorts of interesting characters, certainly not a place designed for tourists. I will be back to eat there for sure!
Updated from previous review on Wednesday June 04, 2014
I understand that some of the previous reviewers were not thrilled with the restaurant, so if you need a patient employee who will explain you exactly what each dish is, this might not be the right place for you, they are more tailored towards quickly feeding large amounts of people. For the quality and taste of the food, I can not complain, I thought that was all excellent during several visits. If you are picky about modern style an cleanliness I can also see that this might not be the place for you; it has been satisfying for me. It might not be a restaurant for everyone, but I think it is unbeatable!

Location :on the same mezzanine floor (above street level) as Don Lee Chinese restaurant, a popular place that cab drivers might know, and a short walk from vía España, a big shopping street.

Portions now cost 70cents, so El Jardín is still a bargain, offering braised wheat gluten , tofu, Asian greens, pumpkin, platano, some cold salads (cabbage, cucumber and tomato ) , fried rice , noodles, a few empanadas and cookies for dessert. The dishes are sold at lunch through the evening , so for fresher and larger selection , come early. There's a similar Asian veg cafeteria style restaurant on Calle 47 "me gusta la cocina vegetariana" & a Middle Eastern restaurant "Beirut" with many veg dishes on a more upscale menu, nearby , across from the Royal Casino.

We didn't have high expectations after reading some of the other reviews but ended up here when our first choice was closed. It looked closed from the outside as chairs were stacked up and a man was sweeping the floor, but when we went in there were several local people at tables at the back. Each portion from the already prepared food was 60¢ and water and (tepid) tea was included. There was also fresh orange and carrot juice and a small range of piping hot soups that was prepared upon ordering. Desserts were also available for purchase. As stated in other reviews, the food wasn't hot, with the exception of the soups, but it tasted quite nice. It's not a fancy place but it met our needs and we would go back.

I, too, was excited about this place. However, I believe it is over-hyped. While it's nice to see a vegan/veggie option in Panama City, I must say that:
- the food was cold, and we came at around lunch time
- the food generally lacked in flavor, and we got a wide variety of dishes
- the "juices" for 60 cents are actually flavored sugar-waters (traditional Latin American drinks) that are very sweet
- some of the food was fairly greasy or dry
- there is no explanation of what dish is what, no labels, and the staff doesn't even know what's what
- the place did seem quite run-down, but that is true of many places in Panama City

For those who still want to give it a try: it's now closed on Sundays, and opens at 9 am (not 7) on weekdays. There is free parking at the Casinos. It's located on the second floor, adjacent to the Veneto Casino. What you can do is get valet parking for free at the Veneto, walk through the casino, and exit through the side into the mall, and eat. We actually stayed at the casino for a little while after we ate, so that worked out for us. Prices are now 60 cents a portion (not 50), but still VERY inexpensive. Cash only.

Overall, though, I'd say this place is a 'PASS.' I probably won't come back. Too bad.
Updated from previous review on Wednesday July 11, 2012

I had high hopes from the reviews I read. But the food on the buffet was cold, they couldnt explain what things were well (I even speak Spanish), and there was a worm/maggot thing in my food. The hot sauce they have was crusty and old, and they only had two fruits for juices. Not a great experience.

For better food, walk two blocks to Loving Hut. Dario is so nice, Loving Hut is waayyy cleaner, they offer a traditional Panamanian soup & vegan deserts, and the people are friendlier. Prices aren't too different either.

I've been in Panama City nearly a week and I've eaten here 6 or 7 times. Mostly because it's the cheapest of the vegan restaurants ($0.50 per scoop/serving) and they all basically have the same food. It's nothing special, but it does have more options than the other restaurants in the city.

This place would get 5 stars instead of 4 if the floors were cleaner. Otherwise, there's a huge "pay by the item" buffet--probably about 30 entrees and side dishes. It's incredibly cheap too at 50 cents per serving. There's a mixture of Chinese dishes (including some with mock meats) and a few dishes from other cuisines (they had vegetarian sushi one night). They usually have a few soups as well. Not much atmosphere though--and, like I mentioned, the floors could be/should be cleaner.

I spent a week in Panama City last year and ate every meal at this restaurant! The people who run the restaurant are very sweet and friendly. The food is absolutely delicious and very inexpensive. Definitely check them out when you are in Panama City!

At 50 cents a scoop it's pretty darn affordable to eat here. We ate here at least once a day while in Panama City for a week. Every day they had slightly different dishes. Lots of greens and vegetables and some fake meat and deep fried dishes.

You can even buy jugs of carrot juice or soy milk from them too. The carrot juice was very good. You can get a quick meal for under $2 here!

It's very much a cafeteria style setting and most people eating here I don't think are vegetarian since they are working men. But all the food is vegan there's no eggs or fish sauce anywhere.

Every day the owners would smile at us and wave, happy that we came back.